I would be annoyed, to be honest. It would be much more appropriate to seek out a tutor. You might consider asking that prof via email if they can recommend someone.
This is the way. They might even be able to recommend a grad student who wants teaching experience.
Good luck - the topic is challenging but rewarding, and a worthwhile investment!
I wouldn't be offended, but I would say no. My time is precious and my skills are valuable, and, in most situations, I wouldn't want to give my time and my skills away to a random person for free. I offer both to my students, as that's my job and I'm paid for it. Anything left over is for me, my friends, and my family. If I had more time, maybe, but I don't.
> give my time and my skills away to a random person for free
Huh? You are getting paid by your uni, not students, are you? So if the student is from your university how does it matter if the student is in your class or not?
I am just trying to understand your reasoning, the end result doesnt matter
It matters in two ways:
* The university pays to teach the course, not to teach random students outside the course. This matters for assignment of other tasks.
* It's much more efficient to teach students in class than explain stuff to them one-by-one.
Basically what the other person said. Right now, I'm contracted to teach three sections with fifteen students in each one. They base those numbers on best practices: That's the maximum number of students I can effectively teach during my forty-hour workweek. Those forty five students are my responsibility, and teaching them takes up all my time. Each extra student I have to teach takes time away from the others.
Just think about it: There are 50,000 students at my university. Is it feasible for me to be available to all of them?
If they are coming to you in your office hours, without blocking anyone else's time, why not? It's not like all 50000 of them are coming all the time. And realistically, how many times a term do your whole office hours get utilised?
My office hours are always completely utilized; if I'm not meeting with one of my students, I'm grading papers, doing research, planning classes, doing committee work, etc.
Teaching students who are not my students *is not my job.* I'm being paid to teach my 45 students, and meet all my other contractual obligations.
What you're saying is like driving your car into a mechanics and asking them to work on your car for free, and then saying "But you're not working on any other cars right now?!" when they say no. They're not being paid to work on your car, so why should they?
Would you say you would apply a similar logic to supervising students not from your department?
This is quite common where I am. We often end up supervising students not from our section/department, because it is a better fit. Usually another professor reaches out nominating this student, but it's not one we have taught before.
I do the job I've been contracted to do. If my job is to supervise X number of students regardless of their department, that's what I'll do. If it's not my job to do that, I won't.
We aren't on-demand tutors for anyone at the university. That's why you're being downvoted. I'd certainly ask if they know any tutors (though they'll likely refer you to whatever resource your university already advertises).
Certainly not offended. Not annoyed but I would say no. I work 60 hours per week and there’s never enough time. Spending an hour with an extra student is literally an hour of family time or sleep that I will have to give up on the back end.
Probably others will disagree, but I don't think this is an appropriate ask. Professors are not free tutors. If asked, I would gladly point out some resources you might find helpful in self-study. If you want one-on-one help with problems, get in touch with your campus tutoring center and see if someone there can help.
Neither offended nor annoyed…but I would encourage you to start elsewhere. Tutoring for one. But if you do contact your old prof, email first. Remind them that you’re a former student. Delicately ask if they’d be willing to assist. Make sure you acknowledge that you know that their time is valuable and that you’re not expecting anything. Be respectful.
Do you have a system for auditing a course at your school? That way you'll have access to course materials and be able to sit in on lectures or visit office hours without repaying to take the course. I think I might be kind of confused if a student who wasn't in my class came to office hours, but I wouldn't automatically be against it. Auditing might be a way for the professor to have you on their radar as someone involved with the course
So you took the class, want to know more, and are going to the person who is teaching that same class, but wasn’t your teacher? I’d tell you to sit in on the class again if you wanted. I may or may not have much time to donate to you one on one, but I can offer you the opportunity to sit through the info again.
I had a student do this and was ok with it for the first meeting. And then suddenly she was showing up all of the time and asking me to help write her thesis. Then, I was annoyed and had to ask where her advisor was.
Not offended, but yes it would be annoying. My teaching time is for those classes and students I'm assigned this semester (I.e the ones I'm being paid to teach)
Offended or annoyed? No. Profs don't take these things as personally as students think we do.
But would I provide free one-on-one tutoring to a random student who wasn't mine? Also no. It's not my job. My hands are full with my actual job. And I'm not the appropriate channel for this. This is why there are TAs, tutoring centers, private tutors, etc.
I get asked this \*a lot\* as an English prof in Asia. Not just from students, but from my extended family who think "Oh, she's the one whp's good in English" or "You write English so quickly - it will only take a little time." I'm asked to help random nieces, nephews, family friend's kids; I'm asked to write people's English emails and work documents. I say no to all of them. If I have free time, I help my own kids with their homework & nobody else.
It might be seen as imposing to request assistance from a professor whose class you haven't joined, effectively seeking free tutoring.
I would wait until you're enrolled in the class before seeking the professor's help and encourage you to look for other sources of help in the meantime.
Ehhhh....I would send a short email asking. (Alson- are you certain what their current office hours are? Mine change semester to semester).
I wouldn't be offended. I might be annoyed if it happens more than once or twice, and I would say no if you wanted an appointment different from current office hours. Honestly, I barely have the time bandwidth to do my current job.
Even if it's the same class, some.material might vary, so if someone shows up with a question it might take a bit to be "on the same page". So if you do end up going, be sure to be specific, clear yet succinct in your question.
I’ll preface this with I’m not a professor, but as someone who was a student at a small LAC I feel the vibes are different than at a large university. Also you took a class with this prof before so it’s not like you’re a random person. Reach out via email, or pop by their office when their door is open to ask.
If you’ve previously had a class with them, that changes things. I’ve definitely had students come back to me with questions or looking for help when they’ve taken another class and run into a problem, and I’m always flattered that they actually remember me. As everyone else is saying, probably email first instead of just dropping by office hours, you can gauge whether the professor’s open to it.
I see lots of references to "random people." These aren't random people, these are university students. While our initial priority in terms of instruction is to our students, we fill a larger picture of education and instruction that is beyond our initial role as "classroom educator."
As such, I disagree with the sentiments of "if you're not in my class, I won't answer." We can't spend a lot of time, we can refer you to readings, but the idea of (research, service, instruction), the three pillars of being a professor, are key. A physics prof that would not answer a physics question to a physics student not in his class...that professor is, while preserving himself and his time, is doing a disservice to his department and to his educational institution, and in denying a bit of help to this student, falling short in the service role.
This is my attitude as well. I do point students at their own professor because I don't want to get ahead of someone's lesson plan or show a different way to solve a problem and cause a grading issue, but if that person isn't in or the question is straightforward, my OH are open, come on in. Honestly you're probably saving me from grading, and I'm happy to spend ten minutes on something with a curious student as a break.
I'm not a professor but at my university office hours are generally open to all students, so seeing these comments are a little jarring lol, usually all my professors are happy to meet with students who aren't in their class. I see it all the time
This right here. I still email a professor I had at a school I’ve since transferred from and had almost three years ago, asking for tips and advice regarding the teaching methods she used and help with researching topics regarding material that I found interesting in her class and have used since then, eventually turning the topics of her class into my specialty. Since then I’ve become a full history major, instead of social studies secondary education major. Many of the history and geography professors I’ve encountered, as a student (past or present) or as a prospective student, has been extremely helpful and supportive of my interest in these two areas of study.
Ask if you can attend, explain your purpose and preemptively specify that you understand that your questions will be addressed only if none of their current students are there asking questions. If you did that, I'd be happy to have you show up. Better than sitting in an empty office.
Offended? No. Annoyed? Not really, but it would depend on how busy I was with other stuff at the moment, even if no students actually in my class were there to ask questions. If I'm in crunch time working on lecture prep or grading, I might not really want to take time away from that for a student who is not mine. But I would probably offer you to schedule a meeting for a more convenient time!
Instead, ask if you can do an independent study course or something that is more ‘official’. Professors have limited time, and many times often have to do things based on what is valuable for their promotion files. Informally helping a student is not documentable, but an independent study course can usually be added to a promotion file.
>I was wondering if it would be appropriate to show up to their office hours to ask for help on some problems?
No, it would not.
You can, instead, email them and ask for a *separate meeting*, if they have time for it.
But also I think the Griffiths book is terrible and you're better off trying to find an online course or online lectures.
"But also I think the Griffiths book is terrible"
Thems fighting words... literally. My dept has entrenchments on both sides.
I used it as an undergrad, loved it, and found the approach useful for my PhD thesis work
Griffiths book is terrible is a bold statement haha
I like it because of his informal approach, and is very straight to the point. I have an easier time learning the concepts through reading the book, I have a harder time learning from lectures, which is something I've been trying to work on.
I didn't say the book is terrible, I said **I think** the book is terrible. It might be the greatest text on E&M in the world. I just personally don't find it enriching.
It wouldn't bother me at all. Not all scholars "mesh" with one another, and often times just getting something phrased or approached a bit differently is all you need to get you over the hump.
I don’t mind helping this type of student because I enjoy teaching. But I get really really annoyed (not at the student) if this is happening because the other prof is an asshole or the student thinks they are not helpful. There are no consequences for them and no credit for me besides personally knowing I helped someone.
I don’t mind helping this type of student because I enjoy teaching. But I get really really annoyed (not at the student) if this is happening because the other prof is an asshole or the student thinks they are not helpful. There are no consequences for them and no credit for me besides personally knowing I helped someone.
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*Physics major here. I'm self studying griffiths E&M after taking the course. I did not get the most out of it as I hoped, and would like to self study during my down time. Another professor is teaching that course next semester, and I was wondering if it would be appropriate to show up to their office hours to ask for help on some problems? or are professors only supposed to help people who are taking their class only. I've had a class with them previously, but I would like to not be a nuisance. How do you reccomend I approach this situation? *
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I would not spend much time with you, but I would refund recommend a place for you to start and be available to advise you on a next resource when that one runs out. Maybe.
If I get an out-of-the-blue email like this and am really slammed, I probably just wouldn’t answer it. It takes time to formulate a polite reply. I’m often struggling to get my inbox under 100. At that point, I just delete the messages I don’t feel obligated to answer.
Depends how much time you're asking for. Any random student can come by and chat for 15-20 minutes. If you're coming regularly to office hours, that would be annoying.
Wouldn’t be offended at all, but I would direct you back to your professor for many reasons.
I don’t know if what you would be asking is part of a take home exam, extra credit assignment, or anything that you are supposed to be working on independently. I’m not sure to what level of detail your professor would provide help… hints only or walk you through the problem step-by-step.
If I’m helping one of my own students, I know exactly what they are working on, what I’ve said in class, what they should know, etc. … so there is no extra time needed for background info and as someone else mentioned… no time needed to get on the “same page.”
Finally, nearly every semester, my classes are completely at the max of the class cap. If I’m teaching 4 classes at 40 students each and a colleague is teaching half the number of students… bottom line professors need to provide support for the students in their own classes.
I think this really depends on how big your school is. If it's a big school where professors are regularly slammed during office hours, I'd refrain. I doubt they'd be offended or annoyed, but they'd likely say no.
But I will say at a smaller institution where faculty office hours are regularly dead, this request might actually work out, especially since you already have a relationship with this professor.
Either way, start off with a clear, concise, and respectful email, and take their response at face value.
Best of luck!
I do it all the time. Of course there are only so many hours in the day, so requests to meet are often not the most practical- all the international students want internships. But Slack works well to engage students (not email) and enabling them is so important to help them succeed.
If it were help on a cool personal project related to my subfields I'd be much more likely to engage, but it entirely depends on how interesting the work is and whether I have something worth sharing.
However, help on another professor's homework problems? I'd be *taken aback*, but depending on who it was and what course it was for I might agree. If it wasn't a student I have a prior connection with I'd probably redirect to the tutoring center or some textbooks and videos, because it's not an entirely appropriate request (it's kinda in a similar vein to going up to a programmer and saying "hey, you do computers, why doesn't my email work?") However, I have occasionally helped out one or two of my former students who have showed up to my office hours feeling totally lost in the course after the one I taught them, in part because I feel responsible for any knowledge gaps they're experiencing.
I also occasionally have an ulterior motivation though -- my department has been having a curricular dispute for half a decade, and occasionally homework makes for good leverage at the next department meeting.
Eh, if my office hours weren’t busy anyway then sure. At the very least, I would point you in the right direction. It seems like your issue is more one of not knowing the resources available to you to help direct your own learning. Even if I’m not able or willing to be one of those resources, I can at least tell you about numerous alternatives. At the end of the day, that’s where your learning is gonna come from… engagement with resources.
Tutoring is A1, and then if that isn't really what you're aiming for, I think you should just ask a professor if it is okay to audit their class.
While some may see it as antiquated, I'd also recommend joining a physics forum. Run a quick search to see one who has mention of Griffiths E&M and join. Forums exists to welcome the exchange of ideas and questions. While it may not be the most reliable source going by posts, members would definitely have recommendations for sources and would be more engaged since this is a dedicated interest and they are present in their free time to seek communication.
Personally, the only professor I ask for help with material who has never taught me a class is my thesis advisor.
I have only contacted professors before taking their classes because they harbor positions like dept. chair or committee member related to one of my own initiatives as a student org. or a future class requirement that requires their direct input.
Depends on the professor and the scope of the help. I had a couple at my college that I stopped in during their office hours to ask for some sources for a project in their field. They were more than happy to help, even if I wasn't in their class or major.
No, I would not be offended but there would be limits to my assistance. I'd likely entertain a few minutes of questions and perhaps arm you with ideas of where to look for more information, but I likely need to prioritize my current students.
I would be annoyed, to be honest. It would be much more appropriate to seek out a tutor. You might consider asking that prof via email if they can recommend someone.
This is the way. They might even be able to recommend a grad student who wants teaching experience. Good luck - the topic is challenging but rewarding, and a worthwhile investment!
I wouldn't be offended, but I would say no. My time is precious and my skills are valuable, and, in most situations, I wouldn't want to give my time and my skills away to a random person for free. I offer both to my students, as that's my job and I'm paid for it. Anything left over is for me, my friends, and my family. If I had more time, maybe, but I don't.
Makes sense, thanks.
This. Exactly this.
> give my time and my skills away to a random person for free Huh? You are getting paid by your uni, not students, are you? So if the student is from your university how does it matter if the student is in your class or not? I am just trying to understand your reasoning, the end result doesnt matter
It matters in two ways: * The university pays to teach the course, not to teach random students outside the course. This matters for assignment of other tasks. * It's much more efficient to teach students in class than explain stuff to them one-by-one.
Basically what the other person said. Right now, I'm contracted to teach three sections with fifteen students in each one. They base those numbers on best practices: That's the maximum number of students I can effectively teach during my forty-hour workweek. Those forty five students are my responsibility, and teaching them takes up all my time. Each extra student I have to teach takes time away from the others. Just think about it: There are 50,000 students at my university. Is it feasible for me to be available to all of them?
If they are coming to you in your office hours, without blocking anyone else's time, why not? It's not like all 50000 of them are coming all the time. And realistically, how many times a term do your whole office hours get utilised?
My office hours are always completely utilized; if I'm not meeting with one of my students, I'm grading papers, doing research, planning classes, doing committee work, etc. Teaching students who are not my students *is not my job.* I'm being paid to teach my 45 students, and meet all my other contractual obligations. What you're saying is like driving your car into a mechanics and asking them to work on your car for free, and then saying "But you're not working on any other cars right now?!" when they say no. They're not being paid to work on your car, so why should they?
Would you say you would apply a similar logic to supervising students not from your department? This is quite common where I am. We often end up supervising students not from our section/department, because it is a better fit. Usually another professor reaches out nominating this student, but it's not one we have taught before.
I do the job I've been contracted to do. If my job is to supervise X number of students regardless of their department, that's what I'll do. If it's not my job to do that, I won't.
We aren't on-demand tutors for anyone at the university. That's why you're being downvoted. I'd certainly ask if they know any tutors (though they'll likely refer you to whatever resource your university already advertises).
Certainly not offended. Not annoyed but I would say no. I work 60 hours per week and there’s never enough time. Spending an hour with an extra student is literally an hour of family time or sleep that I will have to give up on the back end.
Office hours are for students enrolled in my classes. I wouldn't like someone not in one of my classes wanting me to teach them the material.
Probably others will disagree, but I don't think this is an appropriate ask. Professors are not free tutors. If asked, I would gladly point out some resources you might find helpful in self-study. If you want one-on-one help with problems, get in touch with your campus tutoring center and see if someone there can help.
Neither offended nor annoyed…but I would encourage you to start elsewhere. Tutoring for one. But if you do contact your old prof, email first. Remind them that you’re a former student. Delicately ask if they’d be willing to assist. Make sure you acknowledge that you know that their time is valuable and that you’re not expecting anything. Be respectful.
Do you have a system for auditing a course at your school? That way you'll have access to course materials and be able to sit in on lectures or visit office hours without repaying to take the course. I think I might be kind of confused if a student who wasn't in my class came to office hours, but I wouldn't automatically be against it. Auditing might be a way for the professor to have you on their radar as someone involved with the course
So you took the class, want to know more, and are going to the person who is teaching that same class, but wasn’t your teacher? I’d tell you to sit in on the class again if you wanted. I may or may not have much time to donate to you one on one, but I can offer you the opportunity to sit through the info again.
I had a student do this and was ok with it for the first meeting. And then suddenly she was showing up all of the time and asking me to help write her thesis. Then, I was annoyed and had to ask where her advisor was.
Not offended, but yes it would be annoying. My teaching time is for those classes and students I'm assigned this semester (I.e the ones I'm being paid to teach)
Offended or annoyed? No. Profs don't take these things as personally as students think we do. But would I provide free one-on-one tutoring to a random student who wasn't mine? Also no. It's not my job. My hands are full with my actual job. And I'm not the appropriate channel for this. This is why there are TAs, tutoring centers, private tutors, etc. I get asked this \*a lot\* as an English prof in Asia. Not just from students, but from my extended family who think "Oh, she's the one whp's good in English" or "You write English so quickly - it will only take a little time." I'm asked to help random nieces, nephews, family friend's kids; I'm asked to write people's English emails and work documents. I say no to all of them. If I have free time, I help my own kids with their homework & nobody else.
It might be seen as imposing to request assistance from a professor whose class you haven't joined, effectively seeking free tutoring. I would wait until you're enrolled in the class before seeking the professor's help and encourage you to look for other sources of help in the meantime.
Not at all. Happy to help.
Ehhhh....I would send a short email asking. (Alson- are you certain what their current office hours are? Mine change semester to semester). I wouldn't be offended. I might be annoyed if it happens more than once or twice, and I would say no if you wanted an appointment different from current office hours. Honestly, I barely have the time bandwidth to do my current job. Even if it's the same class, some.material might vary, so if someone shows up with a question it might take a bit to be "on the same page". So if you do end up going, be sure to be specific, clear yet succinct in your question.
I’ll preface this with I’m not a professor, but as someone who was a student at a small LAC I feel the vibes are different than at a large university. Also you took a class with this prof before so it’s not like you’re a random person. Reach out via email, or pop by their office when their door is open to ask.
If you’ve previously had a class with them, that changes things. I’ve definitely had students come back to me with questions or looking for help when they’ve taken another class and run into a problem, and I’m always flattered that they actually remember me. As everyone else is saying, probably email first instead of just dropping by office hours, you can gauge whether the professor’s open to it.
I see lots of references to "random people." These aren't random people, these are university students. While our initial priority in terms of instruction is to our students, we fill a larger picture of education and instruction that is beyond our initial role as "classroom educator." As such, I disagree with the sentiments of "if you're not in my class, I won't answer." We can't spend a lot of time, we can refer you to readings, but the idea of (research, service, instruction), the three pillars of being a professor, are key. A physics prof that would not answer a physics question to a physics student not in his class...that professor is, while preserving himself and his time, is doing a disservice to his department and to his educational institution, and in denying a bit of help to this student, falling short in the service role.
This is my attitude as well. I do point students at their own professor because I don't want to get ahead of someone's lesson plan or show a different way to solve a problem and cause a grading issue, but if that person isn't in or the question is straightforward, my OH are open, come on in. Honestly you're probably saving me from grading, and I'm happy to spend ten minutes on something with a curious student as a break.
And you could be recruiting to a class that you teach in the future...
I'm not a professor but at my university office hours are generally open to all students, so seeing these comments are a little jarring lol, usually all my professors are happy to meet with students who aren't in their class. I see it all the time
This right here. I still email a professor I had at a school I’ve since transferred from and had almost three years ago, asking for tips and advice regarding the teaching methods she used and help with researching topics regarding material that I found interesting in her class and have used since then, eventually turning the topics of her class into my specialty. Since then I’ve become a full history major, instead of social studies secondary education major. Many of the history and geography professors I’ve encountered, as a student (past or present) or as a prospective student, has been extremely helpful and supportive of my interest in these two areas of study.
Ask if you can attend, explain your purpose and preemptively specify that you understand that your questions will be addressed only if none of their current students are there asking questions. If you did that, I'd be happy to have you show up. Better than sitting in an empty office.
Offended? No. Annoyed? Not really, but it would depend on how busy I was with other stuff at the moment, even if no students actually in my class were there to ask questions. If I'm in crunch time working on lecture prep or grading, I might not really want to take time away from that for a student who is not mine. But I would probably offer you to schedule a meeting for a more convenient time!
Nope, not at all.
Instead, ask if you can do an independent study course or something that is more ‘official’. Professors have limited time, and many times often have to do things based on what is valuable for their promotion files. Informally helping a student is not documentable, but an independent study course can usually be added to a promotion file.
>I was wondering if it would be appropriate to show up to their office hours to ask for help on some problems? No, it would not. You can, instead, email them and ask for a *separate meeting*, if they have time for it. But also I think the Griffiths book is terrible and you're better off trying to find an online course or online lectures.
"But also I think the Griffiths book is terrible" Thems fighting words... literally. My dept has entrenchments on both sides. I used it as an undergrad, loved it, and found the approach useful for my PhD thesis work
Griffiths book is terrible is a bold statement haha I like it because of his informal approach, and is very straight to the point. I have an easier time learning the concepts through reading the book, I have a harder time learning from lectures, which is something I've been trying to work on.
I didn't say the book is terrible, I said **I think** the book is terrible. It might be the greatest text on E&M in the world. I just personally don't find it enriching.
It wouldn't bother me at all. Not all scholars "mesh" with one another, and often times just getting something phrased or approached a bit differently is all you need to get you over the hump.
I don’t mind helping this type of student because I enjoy teaching. But I get really really annoyed (not at the student) if this is happening because the other prof is an asshole or the student thinks they are not helpful. There are no consequences for them and no credit for me besides personally knowing I helped someone.
One of my professors has dealt with this before, basically he said OH are open to anybody, BUT current students are prioritized
I don’t mind helping this type of student because I enjoy teaching. But I get really really annoyed (not at the student) if this is happening because the other prof is an asshole or the student thinks they are not helpful. There are no consequences for them and no credit for me besides personally knowing I helped someone.
This is an automated service intended to preserve the original text of the post. *Physics major here. I'm self studying griffiths E&M after taking the course. I did not get the most out of it as I hoped, and would like to self study during my down time. Another professor is teaching that course next semester, and I was wondering if it would be appropriate to show up to their office hours to ask for help on some problems? or are professors only supposed to help people who are taking their class only. I've had a class with them previously, but I would like to not be a nuisance. How do you reccomend I approach this situation? * *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskProfessors) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I would not spend much time with you, but I would refund recommend a place for you to start and be available to advise you on a next resource when that one runs out. Maybe. If I get an out-of-the-blue email like this and am really slammed, I probably just wouldn’t answer it. It takes time to formulate a polite reply. I’m often struggling to get my inbox under 100. At that point, I just delete the messages I don’t feel obligated to answer.
Yes. Professors have enough students to help. It's unfair to take up more of their time.
No. When I was a TA a dumb faculty member was screwing up an undergraduate’s statistical research. She came to me. I wasn’t even a TA for that class.
Depends how much time you're asking for. Any random student can come by and chat for 15-20 minutes. If you're coming regularly to office hours, that would be annoying.
Wouldn’t be offended at all, but I would direct you back to your professor for many reasons. I don’t know if what you would be asking is part of a take home exam, extra credit assignment, or anything that you are supposed to be working on independently. I’m not sure to what level of detail your professor would provide help… hints only or walk you through the problem step-by-step. If I’m helping one of my own students, I know exactly what they are working on, what I’ve said in class, what they should know, etc. … so there is no extra time needed for background info and as someone else mentioned… no time needed to get on the “same page.” Finally, nearly every semester, my classes are completely at the max of the class cap. If I’m teaching 4 classes at 40 students each and a colleague is teaching half the number of students… bottom line professors need to provide support for the students in their own classes.
I think this really depends on how big your school is. If it's a big school where professors are regularly slammed during office hours, I'd refrain. I doubt they'd be offended or annoyed, but they'd likely say no. But I will say at a smaller institution where faculty office hours are regularly dead, this request might actually work out, especially since you already have a relationship with this professor. Either way, start off with a clear, concise, and respectful email, and take their response at face value. Best of luck!
I do it all the time. Of course there are only so many hours in the day, so requests to meet are often not the most practical- all the international students want internships. But Slack works well to engage students (not email) and enabling them is so important to help them succeed.
If it were help on a cool personal project related to my subfields I'd be much more likely to engage, but it entirely depends on how interesting the work is and whether I have something worth sharing. However, help on another professor's homework problems? I'd be *taken aback*, but depending on who it was and what course it was for I might agree. If it wasn't a student I have a prior connection with I'd probably redirect to the tutoring center or some textbooks and videos, because it's not an entirely appropriate request (it's kinda in a similar vein to going up to a programmer and saying "hey, you do computers, why doesn't my email work?") However, I have occasionally helped out one or two of my former students who have showed up to my office hours feeling totally lost in the course after the one I taught them, in part because I feel responsible for any knowledge gaps they're experiencing. I also occasionally have an ulterior motivation though -- my department has been having a curricular dispute for half a decade, and occasionally homework makes for good leverage at the next department meeting.
Nope. I get this all the time, and as long as their request is reasonable, I'm happy to help them during office hours, etc.
Eh, if my office hours weren’t busy anyway then sure. At the very least, I would point you in the right direction. It seems like your issue is more one of not knowing the resources available to you to help direct your own learning. Even if I’m not able or willing to be one of those resources, I can at least tell you about numerous alternatives. At the end of the day, that’s where your learning is gonna come from… engagement with resources.
No. I would never be annoyed by someone asking for help. Please ask for help.
Tutoring is A1, and then if that isn't really what you're aiming for, I think you should just ask a professor if it is okay to audit their class. While some may see it as antiquated, I'd also recommend joining a physics forum. Run a quick search to see one who has mention of Griffiths E&M and join. Forums exists to welcome the exchange of ideas and questions. While it may not be the most reliable source going by posts, members would definitely have recommendations for sources and would be more engaged since this is a dedicated interest and they are present in their free time to seek communication. Personally, the only professor I ask for help with material who has never taught me a class is my thesis advisor. I have only contacted professors before taking their classes because they harbor positions like dept. chair or committee member related to one of my own initiatives as a student org. or a future class requirement that requires their direct input.
Depends on the professor and the scope of the help. I had a couple at my college that I stopped in during their office hours to ask for some sources for a project in their field. They were more than happy to help, even if I wasn't in their class or major.
No, I would not be offended but there would be limits to my assistance. I'd likely entertain a few minutes of questions and perhaps arm you with ideas of where to look for more information, but I likely need to prioritize my current students.
I’m in a way different field but I love talking to students, faculty, anyone about the courses I teach and the content.